Vega E 'green' rocket launcher engine plan at Paris Air Show

(ANSA) - Paris, June 16 - At the Paris Air Show Tuesday, Avio President Pier Giuliano Lasagni told ANSA about the company's plans for the Vega E, a 'green' rocket launcher engine that could fly as soon as 2022.
    Avio is a manufacturer of engines for Vega European rocket launchers and headquartered outside Rome.
    The Vega E engine follows on the heels of the Vega C, whose first flight is scheduled for 2018, but unlike its predecessor is considered 'green' because it uses oxygen and methane as propellants rather than harmful substances like hydrazine.
    Lasagni, who is also chief executive officer, said launcher engines are "destined to become less costly and easier to build" thanks to 3D printing, which allows all components to be produced in one unified piece.
    The engine for the Vega E is called Mira, and was developed in conjunction with the Lyra program financed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
    The engine will allow an increase in payload from two to three tons.
    "The Vega E promises to become a war horse for bringing medium loads into orbit," Lasagni said.
    "Even the nose cone of the pitcher will be wider, so as to accommodate bulkier satellites," he said.